If you currently use Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) 2.0 in your environment to distribute updates, Essentials 2007 upgrades the WSUS installation to version 3.0. Most WSUS settings are preserved during this upgrade, and you can migrate existing WSUS settings during Essentials 2007 installation. You should back up your existing data before upgrading.
If you are installing Essentials 2007 SP1 with SQL Server 2005 Express Edition and as part of that installation are upgrading an existing WSUS 3.0 installation that has been using a different edition of SQL Server 2005, you may not be able to run any of the WSUS Inventory reports. The working combinations are as follows:
- Essentials 2007 SP1 is installed with SQL Server 2005
Express Edition with Advanced Services but WSUS is not
upgraded.
- The SQL Reporting Services chosen in Essentials 2007 is
SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services, and
all Essentials 2007 database components are also installed on
SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services.
- Essentials 2007 SP1 is installed on an existing instance
of SQL Server 2005 Standard or Enterprise Edition.
Upgrade information
The following WSUS settings are changed during the upgrade:
- If the existing WSUS server is operating in DSS or replica
mode, it is made autonomous.
- The number of daily synchronizations from Microsoft update is
set as ‘1’.
- The hierarchy of computer groups is removed, and all computer
groups are then at the same level (under "All Computers"). During
this process, names may be changed for some computer groups.
- The method of assigning Computers to Computer groups is changed
to server-side targeting.
- If existing WSUS server is version 2.0 or 2.0 SP1 and is using
a local database server that is running any version other than
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 SP1, the database is detached from
the current database instance and attached to an instance of
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition. However, the
database file is not moved from its current location.
The following WSUS settings are not preserved during the upgrade:
- Information about computers (because computer groups are
migrated from WSUS to Essentials 2007).
- Automatic approvals.
- Any existing approvals for groups named "All Clients" or "All
Servers." You must re-create the approvals after
Essentials 2007 setup completes.
You should not proceed with the upgrade if the following conditions apply:
- The existing server has active downstream servers. System
Center Essentials does not support USS mode. Because this cannot be
reliably detected, the user is warned if the WSUS server has
downstream servers.
- You are using WSUS 2.0 or 2.0 SP1 and using a remote database
server that is not running SQL Server 2005 SP1 to store
WSUS data.
Backup Considerations for Upgrade
A backup copy of the current database is created during the upgrade process. If the upgrade is not successful, you can restore the previous environment by using the backup copy.
Ensure that you have sufficient space to backup the current WSUS database. You can find the space required by looking at the current database file size and making sure enough space exists to make a copy of that file.